Student Life
7 min read

Keep calm and shine on: a guide to settling in to uni life

2nd September 2022
Last updated 28th January 2025
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Starting your new journey at uni can be sensory overload between moving day and the full-on antics of Freshers’ Week. It’s an exciting time but it can be a stressful one too, and settling in to your new student life may be an adjustment.

How to ace the first few weeks of uni

Take a look at some of the recommendations and top tips below, to help you navigate life after Welcome Week. From forming friendships to making your student accommodation feel like home, be prepared to boss the beginning of uni. You’ve got this!

Get into a routine

Your first few weeks of classes will give you the chance to familiarise yourself with your timetable and the demands of your course. Factor in any part-time work, and you’ll be able to get a sense of the shape of your weeks for the coming semester and establish a routine so that you can get the most out of your uni experience.

It’s all about balance

Routine leads us on to balancing study, work and all the fun parts of student life. Socialising is a big part of being a student, both in and outside of your student accommodation, so it’s important that you’re not focusing your time or energy too much on either flat-out revision or flat-out partying. Pace yourself. Try not to feel pressured into saying yes to every social outing and avoid burnout from studying by making time for new friends and new experiences. In time, you should find that sweet spot that works for you.

Find your people

One of the most common fears students have when moving away from home is not making friends. Just be yourself and you should find your people, whether that’s in your student accommodation, on your course or both. Check out 5 ways to become friends with your flatmates at uni and, if you find yourself struggling, try not to panic: you’re at the start of what will hopefully be the rich and memorable experience you always wanted, and forming friendships can take time. Feeling lonely? Read our guide on how to manage loneliness as a student.

Bring home to you

Bring home to you

One surefire way to put you at ease and get you feeling comfortable in a new place is to decorate. Your new room in your student accommodation is your personal space for the next year at least, so throw up some fairy lights, add your favourite cushion to your bed, or pin up some favourite photo memories with old and new besties on your pinboard. When everything around you can be disorienting, one way to keep centred is to return to your room after a long day of lectures and feel like you’re home.

Stick to a budget

This could be the first time you’re living independently and managing your own money. It’s the right time to make good habits and stick to them, especially when it comes to finances. Get off to a flying start by making your first rent payment so you can get on with enjoying first semester, and consider the outgoings you have until your next loan payment, so you can be smart with your spends while still being able to go out and enjoy yourself. Shopping with your flatmates is a good idea to share the expense, while buying second-hand textbooks and signing up for your own TOTUM card are other great ways to save money.

Dealing with homesickness

Missing home, your family and friends is not fun and can be a real issue for students when they move away for uni. You may only have pangs of homesickness for a couple of days, or you might feel it intensely for weeks. Regularly keeping in touch with your loved ones could help to ease such feelings, while getting stuck into your new situation and everything it has to offer could prove the distraction you need for those feelings to subside – for example, explore your new city to find your new favourite hangouts and put yourself out there by going to different social events. Be open about how you feel, as it’s likely that other students in your uni accommodation or on your course will be feeling the same way too!

Ask for help

We hope that you slot comfortably into student life and you have a great time from the get-go, but if you’re really struggling to cope with the change of environment and lifestyle then please don’t stay silent. There will be people who can help, ranging from your friends and neighbours to support services at your uni or accommodation. At Student Roost properties, our friendly teams are onsite 24/7 so you can reach out from AM to PM, plus we’ll be able to point you in the right direction for specific help relating to your mental health and wellbeing. Don’t keep quiet! Check out our wellbeing hub for more info and resources.

Are you looking ahead to your first year at uni? We’ve got a range of suitable rooms and options for new students looking to start their adventure in student accommodation across the UK. Alternatively, have you successfully navigated first year already and looking to do it all again? It's never too early to start thinking about the next year of your journey in one of our properties.

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